The Northman's Prize
by wibblywobblywesteros
Summary: AU, Original Supernatural Character. Cecilia has been in the run for a long time and by chance meets Eric Northman. Is he going to help her or has she run straight into more trouble than she can handle?
1. Chapter 1

Fangtasia was not at all the sort of establishment that a woman like Cecilia Romanov was prone to visiting. She ordinarily preferred someplace quieter and far more sophisticated. Someplace with fewer people, soft music, and elegance. However it wasn't as if she had arrived at the rural vampire bar entirely by choice. She had been on the run for days, weeks really but had lost track of time, and she needed someplace to rest and eat.

Cecilia tried to brush the dirt off of the green dress she wore, managing to remove only some of the filth that clung to the fabric. Sleeping on the ground by night had made a wreck of her clothes and hair. If she weren't already uncomfortable enough with her disheveled appearance, the knee length sundress she wore revealed far more skin than her old fashioned tastes could ever be comfortable with. But when one was on the run for her life, she had to be content with whatever clothing she could steal from unattended clotheslines. She tried one last time to brush away the dirt, re-braided her brown curly hair into a long braid and let it hang over her right shoulder. She could do nothing for her bare feet except to hope they wouldn't be noticed.

People and vampires in the bar began to glance her way as soon as Cecilia entered. She was accustumed to being stared at everywhere she went but had never truly liked all the attention. She was pretty, perhaps not a supermodel beauty, but pretty enough to gather attention nonetheless. Cecilia had long brown hair that was somewhere between black and blonde with just enough red highlights to be mistaken for auburn in the right sunlight. She was short, petite, and full figured. But it was her eyes that caught always caught the most attention, they were purple. She quickly scanned the room, trying to avoid gazing at anyone directly, and found an empty seat along the wall.

Cecelia sat in her seat along the wall, listening to the conversations and the thoughts of the humans in the room. She had always been able to hear thoughts. Her mother had been a faerie and had taught her how to use all of her abilities well. All the abilities she knew about anyway. Cecilia had never known her father. He had only known her mother a few weeks before he disappeared and was never seen again. It wasn't until she was fifteen that Cecilia finally understood her heightened senses and incredible strength. Because one full moon after her birthday, Cecilia transformed into a wolf.

Cecilia sniffed the room discreetly from where she sat. She couldn't hear vampire thoughts but she could smell their emotions. It had taken years to perfect that skill but now she knew how to see past the vampires stoic veneer and smell his anger, sadness, fear, joy, rage, and hunger. Without this ability she would have undoubtedly been dead long before.

In only a short time, the faerie wolf had determined which reckless humans and hungry vamps to avoid and who the vampire in charge was. His name was Eric Northman.

In the meantime, Cecilia was hungry and she needed money or clothes or both. She scanned the room for someone who could help and who was near enough that she wouldn't need to cross the room dressed as she was. It took a few minutes but she found what she needed in a young woman who was passing by her table. The woman had a tattoo of the zodiac on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, Anita?" She caught the woman's arm gently. "Your name is Anita, right?"

"Uh.. yeah it is.. do I know you? Cause I don't think I know anyone with your particular accent.. are you from Russia?" Anita was babbling on cheerfully.

"Yes, I am from Russia. We have never met, but I know you. I saw you in a vision." Cecilia told her, doing her best to sound mysterious.

"In a vision?" This had Anita's attention. Cecilia had known it would. For years she had made her living as a fortune teller. She had made it a habit to carry tarot cards with her everywhere she went but on this night she didn't have any cards. It was almost second nature now to pick out which humans were willing to trust astrology. The ones who tended to doubt astrology or who looked to science, she avoided those ones. They always ended up wanting answers of how Cecilia knew the things she did. It was a dangerous game she was playing but she had to survive somehow.

"Yes, in a vision. Sit and I will tell you everything I saw of you and Rusty." Cecilia went on.

"You saw Rusty?" Anita sat down in the chair across from Cecilia.

"My vision was clear. I saw you Anita Judson and Russel Donnor together in a church."

"You saw us in church? Were we getting married?" Anita asked excitedly.

"You were about to get married, yes. Then I saw another man come to you and kiss you and take you away."

"Oh." Anita sounded disappointed. "So we're not supposed to get married?"

"The choice is yours. However, Rusty is not good to you. In my visions I see him consuming beer and beating you, does he not?" Cecilia prodded. She had indeed seen Anita's memories.

"Yes, but he's been sober three weeks. He promised never to do it again."

"I am sorry to tell you this," Cecilia told her sadly. "Rusty will drink again, and he will beat you again. But if you leave him, there is a man with kind eyes who will love you and treat you well. I promise you that."

"Well, can you at least tell me the name of this future man?"

"I can not tell you that. Such knowledge of the future is forbidden. I _can _tell you that Frank MacDonald over there at the bar would very much like to dance with you." Cecelia said with a smile.

Anita glanced over to Frank and found he was staring at her. The man looked away quickly, almost shyly. "He does have kind eyes." She said with a giggle.

"Yes he does." Cecilia said, Anita was getting up to leave. This was the moment Cecilia had been waiting for. "Anita, may I trouble you for a small favor?"

"Yes, of course. Anything at all."

"As you can see, I am barefoot and covered in dirt. Earlier I was in a trance... I am embarrassed to say I awoke like this... miles from home... without shoes...I know before you came her you couldn't decide which shoes to wear. Now that you hate Rusty for taking you shoe shopping, perhaps you have no further use for the pair you left in your car?" She disliked lying but a lie was easier than the truth.

"Oh my god! I did leave a pair of flats in my car. I'll run and get them for you right now. And take this too, you've been so helpful to me!" Anita pulled a twenty dollar bill from her denim skirt pocket and handed it over to Cecilia.

A short time later, Cecilia was wearing shoes and eating a burger that had been ordered from the bar. Anita was dancing with Frank. few people were still staring at her, Cecila was begining to finally feel full for the first time in days. A waitress approached her table.

"Eric wants to talk to you." The waitress said.


	2. Chapter 2

Cecilia took a breath. She didn't want to see Eric Northman. She had never met him and though she knew that some vampires could be nice for a period of time, she doubted Eric was one of those vampires. She got up and approached his elevated seat timidly. In spite of her long standing career as a fortune teller, Cecilia was not a bold outgoing woman. She had a quiet reserved, personality. The boldness it took to be the gypsy fortune teller she made herself out to be was only an act, an act that required a lot of energy and concentration on her part. The boldness it would take to speak lies in the face of a thousand year old vampire, well she wasn't sure she was even capable of that.

"The sheriff wants to know who you are?" Said a woman who stood at Eric side.

"I am Cecilia Romanov of Russia." Cecilia said, relieved that at least that part was the truth.

"And he wants to know when you came to this town?" The woman went on.

"Just tonight. I have been..travelling..."

"If that is so, then who told you about Anita and her violent boyfriend?"

Cecilia was growing worried. Of course the vampires had heard her conversation. They had better hearing than humans. She had known that already but hadn't expected they would listen. "It was a lucky guess."

Eric stood, his tall frame towering over her petite stature. "That will be all." He said, waving off the woman beside him. "Come with me."

Cecilia followed him to a sitting room in the back of the bar. She didn't want to be alone with him. She had fought vampires before but never so many as were loyal to him in this place. And she could smell his interest in her. It was curiosity and lust and hunger all intermingled.

"Sit." He said, so she took a seat on a red sofa. Eric sat in a chair across from her and leaned close to her face, close enough that she couldn't help but notice the depth of his blue eyes. "You look like you need a place to stay. You'll stay here with us."

Cecilia felt panic rise in her stomach. She knew he was trying to glamour her. If she gave any indication that it wasn't working, he might chain her up. Others had done so and worse. "Of course. I will stay here with all of you." She said in as monotone a voice as she could manage but still her voice squeaked.

Eric shoved her back against the back of the sofa. "You're not afraid of me!" She wasn't sure if her was commanding her to be unafraid or stating that he knew she was terrified. He was angry and still staring deeply into her eyes.

Cecilia knew this was a test. She was failing. Badly. "I'm not... I'm not afraid of.. y-you.." But she was trembling so badly that it was no use.

Eric let her go and sat back in his chair. "So you're not human?" He said irritated.

"I'm not." She admitted. There was no possibility of pretending otherwise now.

"Do you have friends who will miss you if you stay?" He asked.

"No. I have enemies who will kill to find me." She told him truthfully in hopes that the information would have the same effect as powerful friends might have had.

"What sort of enemies?" Eric asked seemingly unconcerned but she could smell a hint of worry.

"Human. An ancient society who live to hunt non humans."

"I see. Well, I think there is little danger of a human invasion here." Eric said, his worry vanished.

"And... werewolf..." She added timidly.

"Really? I am intrigued. Tell me more."

"I lived among the werewolves for a time. When the humans came a lot of wolves were killed. They blamed me for this. So now I am hunted by the Knights of Sol, and a pack of thirty wolves."

"I suppose I now have a choice to make. I need to decide if you are valuable enough to hang onto in spite of the risks." He said. "You can read human thoughts? Can you do anything else?"

"Yes." Cecilia knew better than to try too many lies with Eric, but she didn't want to reveal the truth either. "What do you need me to do?"

"We aren't bargaining here. If I find you useful I will allow you to serve us for a time. Otherwise I will throw you out and let your werewolves have their way. Is that understood?"

Shaken, she nodded, knowing she had little choice but to give him the truth. She could not fight so many. "My mother was a Faerie, my father a werewolf. I can do many things. I can hear human and werewolf thoughts, I have heightened strength and senses, I can utilize electricity and light with my hands, can transform into a wolf...and...I can smell emotions...vampire emotions..."

"What?" Eric asked, slightly confused.

"I can not read your thoughts at all but I can smell every emotion that a vampire has and can predict some of his behavior. It is useful to be aware of things like rage, hunger, even greed."

"If that is true, then what am I feeling right now?"

"Curiosity mostly, a little hunger, and dominance. You want me to be afraid of you. But there is no need to for action to prove anything. I am already afraid." Cecilia admitted. "I will do whatever you bid."

"Today you will. But what happens tomorrow if one of us feeds on you? Will you still do as I bid? Or will you turn into a wolf or shoot balls of energy at us all?" Eric said almost tauntingly.

"I can not allow just anyone who wishes to freely feed on me. I have killed vampires in the past and would do so again if I must... but, if you were to claim me, and if you were gentle with me, I will still do as you bid."

"You already admitted you're afraid of me. Why would you offer to let me claim you? And what makes you think I would want to?" Eric went on.

Cecilia hadn't realized until the disappointment she felt in that moment, that she was attracted to Eric Northman. She had been fed on by vampires before, had slept with vampires before, but that had always been a part of survival. Though she was afraid of Eric, she wanted him as well. She knew it wasn't a _proper _way to feel in this situation but it was there all the same. But he had indicated he didn't want her. Then she had the answer to his question. "Because I can smell your lust and I can not deny that I am...curious."

"Do you even know what faerie blood is to vampires? If the others knew what you were they would drain you dry. How do you know I wouldn't do the same?" Eric was leaning close to her, eyeing her neck.

"I know what I am... and I have been fed on before..." She began trembling. "But I have been running for a long time, from vampires who would drink me dry, from humans who hate anyone who isn't human, and from werewolves who have been hurt by those hunting me and now want revenge. I can not run anymore. I can not fight them all... you are old enough and strong enough to help me. I will let you have my blood, I _could _put up a good fight, but for you I will not, if you will give me your protection in exchange..." Cecilia's eyes were wet with tears and she was still shaken as she struggled to maintain her composure. Now that he knew who she was, he wouldn't likely let her go. A mutual arrangement was her only hope.

Eric reached over and took a strand of her hair in his hand. "Your eyes are purple." He said, leaning just a little closer to smell her. Cecilia only nodded in response. She couldn't deny that he was as attractive as he was terrifying. Then his lips brushed her neck, her jaw, and her lips. Some part of her wanted him to kiss her and another part wanted to run away screaming. Eric didn't kiss her. He leaned back in his chair and became serious again. "Let me get this straight, you will let me drink your blood, will have sex with me, and will use your powers to my advantage when instructed, and in exchange I am to treat you well and protect you from harm?"

Cecilia nodded again, the words were stuck in her throat.

"One final detail needs to be cleared up. How long is this agreement supposed to last?" He asked in a businesslike manner.

"I.. I don't know..."

"I suspected as much. In fact I suspect that you don't plan for it to last long at all. You will stay with me a very short time and escape the first chance you get. This is all a ruse to keep me from locking you up once I have fed on you." He said accusingly.

"No... that's not true..." Cecilia stood from her chair and gathering every ounce of courage she could find she climbed into Eric lap, straddling him. "If I wanted to escape," She whispered in his ear. "I have the power to do so. What I _want _is right here."

Eric's eyes met hers. His gaze was both skeptical and lustful. "Your heart is racing. I can feel your fear."

Cecilia swallowed. She _was_ afraid. "It's not fear." She knew he had to believe her if she were ever going to maintain any semblance of freedom. She pressed her body close to him and kissed him. His arms came around her and he was kissing her in return.


	3. Chapter 3

As all vampires did, Eric Northman had cold skin. Cecilia suspected that perhaps as a former viking and man of the north, Eric Had even colder skin than other vampires. However she found she liked his cold skin. It helped to cool her wolf blood and keep her senses focused. She needed to remain focused with him and not become distracted by his proximity. She needed to be able to smell the moment his hunger and blood-lust overpowered him so that she could protect herself from being drained. But he felt amazingly good beneath her and inside her. So much so that she could hardly think clearly beyond the momentary bliss.

Cecilia had been with a few vampires before. Most of them lost control of themselves and didn't know when to stop even if they had claimed beforehand that they weren't going to kill her. The nicer ones needed an energy shock or a blast of light to push them away. At that point they would apologize and let her go. Others she'd had to fight for survival, even turn into a wolf and tear them apart. She didn't know which variety of vampire Eric was but she hoped it was the former because she wasn't entirely sure that she could fight him off if he lost control.

Yet being with him was intoxicating in much the way that vampires claimed she was for them. She didn't know why this was the case. Maybe it was because it had been so long since she'd been with anyone. She had certainly experienced good sex before, and had been with attractive men, but this was something else entirely. It was surreal. Cecilia had no idea why it was happening but she didn't want it to end. She wanted to pretend he was human all of this wouldn't end with his loosing control and nearly killing her.

Her dirty dress was on the floor, Eric's shirt was gone, and she was astride him. His tongue was in her mouth and his member inside her. She kept waiting with every thrust for him to bite her, but he seemed to be more interested in her body than in her blood. His hands found her breasts and she couldn't stop the moan that escaped her. Eric pulled away, his eyes searching hers.

"Aren't you going to bite me?" She asked breathlessly, half worried half curious.

"Do you want me to?" He asked gently, as is if he was actually leaving the decision to Cecilia. She suspected this was not a question someone like Eric ever asked. If he wanted to feed on a human, he simply took them and fed on them. They didn't have a say in it. She wasn't sure if his question was genuine or meant as a mockery.

"I told you I would let you..." Cecilia didn't know what else to say.

"That's not what I asked. Do you _want_ me to bite you?"

Cecilia shivered at the intensity of his gaze. She shook her head, a single tear slipping out. "No. I don't want you to. You won't be able to stop...I might die...I don't want to die."

Eric reached up an touched her cheek. "I'm not going to kill you. If you tell me to stop. I'll stop. I give you my word."

Cecilia nodded, biting back her tears as Eric sank his teeth into her neck. The pain wasn't so bad. He resumed thrusting into her and she tried to focus on the sensation rather than give in to her fears. Her blood was running down her shoulder, breasts, and back. Eric was lost in the oblivion and intoxication of her blood. She jerked her hips, hoping to divert his attention away from feeding. He groaned and continued suck at her neck. Cecilia moved with him, panting more heaving with every thrust. She felt him come soon after. He was finished but he didn't stop.

"Eric? I'm getting weaker.. please stop..." Cecilia tried a gentle approach.

To her great astonishment, Eric pulled away, resting his head on her shoulder for a moment before looking up into her amazed expression. "What?" He asked, seeing the look on her face.

"You stopped..."

Eric bit his wrist and gave her his blood to heal. She knew the ritual. She knew this would bond her to him and the idea of that was less frightening now than it had been earlier. "I told you I wouldn't kill you. You're much to valuable to waste on one feeding." He said as she drank.

Cecilia knew she should feel insulted by his statement but in truth she wasn't. She had long ago accepted that vampires valued her for her blood, the werewolves valued her strength, just as humans valued her beauty. It didn't mean they were incapable of appreciating her true self, just that they each initially valued different things. At least she hoped so. But the fact the vampires valued her blood had always been a danger to her simly due to their lack of self control. She held onto a little hope that perhaps Eric was different. Not too much hope, she was still wary of him, but just a little.

Eric directed Cecila to a wardrobe where she could choose clean clothes and then to the bath. he left her alone to wash and change. She wanted to feel relief that he was gone but she found that she missed him instead. She told herself that it was the bond that had her missing him. She turned on the water for the bathtub and picked out a modest dress to wear. It had short sleeves, a scoop neck, a tiny blue floral print, buttons all the way up, and a hemline that fell just below her knees. This suited her much better than the skimpy sundress she had stolen from a clothesline a week earlier. but it was still a little less fabric than she would have liked. After bathing she dressed in the new dress, combed her hair, slipped on the new flats that Anita had given her, and rejoined Eric in the bar area. She assumed he would want her there.

Cecilia didn't have to ask what he wanted of her. "Just sit and watch for trouble." Eric said, indicating a chair not far from his.

She nodded and did as he asked. The room smelled of bar food and Cecilia realized just then that she had never finished her meal earlier. It had been well over a week since she'd had a full meal. Nine days to be exact. There had been berries and bits of edible foliage in the woods but no real food until the few bites of burger she had eaten earlier. She was still famished. Cecilia glanced at Eric, unsure if she should ask for food or wait for him to offer it. Vampires could be volatile creatures. She knew that more than anyone. And she didn't know Eric well enough to know if asking for food would insult his hospitality. So she said nothing.

Hours passed. Cecilia alerted Eric to potential fights before they could truly break out and even to a few secrets that people brought with them. She didn't remember falling out of the chair or passing out. She awoke on the red sofa in the back room. Eric was frantically pacing the room nearby.

"What happened?" He knelt next to her, eyes full of concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry...I just... I'm hungry." She admitted sheepishly. "I haven't really eaten in nine days."

"Why the hell didn't you say anything? Are you trying to kill yourself?" Eric asked frustrated.

"No... no, I thought it wasn't my place to ask for anything."

"Get her some food." Eric demanded of the vampire who stood nearest the door. "Now!"

Moments later a plate was brought to her with french fries, chicken tenders, and ketchup. Cecilia ate quickly. Eric watched, the concern never leaving his eyes. She knew he was worried that anything bad might happen to his new favorite feeding source but it was hard not to be affected by his concern. She brushed it aside, telling herself she had simply been lonely for too long.

"Cecilia," Eric said as she ate. "Part of our agreement was that I would treat you well. I can't do that if you don't tell me what you need. From now on, if you're hungry just take some food from the bar or from the kitchen out back. If you need anything else, be it clothing or entertainment or protection, you need only to ask and you will have it."

She stared at him wide eyed for a moment. "What about the sunlight? What if i would just like to take a walk in the sun by day sometimes? Am I free to leave here?"

Eric swallowed. Cecilia could smell his worry. "You may leave. No one will stop you."

"Why? I thought you wanted me here. You are not worried that I will try to escape?" She asked tentatively.

"You have tasted my blood and so I am bonded with you. I will know where you are even if you do try to escape. If you leave and I sense that you need protection, I will still offer it. But I would truly prefer that you were not afraid of me. Keeping you here against your will is hardly conducive to building trust."

"I suppose so." Cecilia said. Eric's words had taken her off guard. When they had first met he had enjoyed her fear of him. He was a vampire who liked to dominate. Somehow that had changed. She couldn't smell any lies. There was worry, concern, and even a little lust, but no lies. She didn't know what to make of it.

"If you wish to walk in the sun, or go shop in the city while we sleep, then go. If you wish to leave for good, I will not stop you."

Cecilia sighed. "I have no place else to go...you will keep what I am a secret from the others?"

He nodded, seeming to understand her predicament. She would leave if she had a safe place to go. But she didn't have a safe place to go so she was staying, in spite of being afraid of him. "The sun comes up in half an hour. If you are in danger while I sleep, call to me. i will help you."

"Thank you." She said as he left her to go to his rest.


	4. Chapter 4

Cecilia finished the plate of food after Eric had gone. The bar was quiet, everyone was gone, either back to their homes or into their coffins to sleep. She had always liked the quiet. Silent libraries, peaceful forests, solitary tables at the coffee shop, those were the types of places she liked to be. This silence was different, edgy. She felt as if she were waiting for some huge noise to crash though and destroy the silence. Something was about to happen, something big. All of her senses were on alert. She struggled to control her breathing so she could listen and smell whatever was coming. But nothing came. An hour passed, then nearly two, still nothing happened.

Cecilia forced herself out of the room and into the sunlight outside. Once there, the scent of the trees and the grass overtook her and she wanted nothing more than to run through the woods. So she ran, as a wolf.

Eventually she grew tired. Cecilia went back to Fangtasia, changed forms, put on her dress, and went to sleep on the red sofa. She had been awake all night after all. She woke up again after dark. Eric was speaking quietly to someone near the door. He noticed she was awake and went to her.

"How long have you been asleep? If you need more rest I can clear the room..." There were those concerned eyes of his again.

"No, there's no need. I'm fine." She assured him. She must have slept for a solid nine hours.

"Then you should eat. Pablo has already started cooking for the human customers. He'll have something for you." Eric took her hand and helped her up from the sofa.

She was past the bar and almost into the kitchen when she smelled it. _Desire. Hunger. _She glanced to her left and saw the source, a very large male vampire. He was muscular and would have probably been very strong when he was a human. Cecilia tried to ignore him and continue on to the kitchen but in a blur he was in front of her, blocking the doorway.

"You smell delicious." The large man said moving in close to her. His stubble was near enough to brush roughly over her skin.

She took a step backwards. "Stay away from me." Cecilia didn't want to use her powers on him if she didn't have to. She didn't need or want every Vampire in the place to know what she was.

The predatory vampire chuckled and stepped close to her again. Her heart was racing and she could feel the energy of light building up in her hands, almost against her will. Then in an instant, Eric was there and her tormentor was shoved against the wall.

"Do not touch her." Eric said through gritted teeth. "She is mine!" He shoved him away roughly then turned to face the room. "Cecilia is mine. No one is to feed from her. No one is to touch her. No, one is to so much as look her without my permission. Is that understood?"

There were murmurs of consent and soon everyone went back to whatever that had been doing previously. Eric went to her again. "Thank you." Cecilia said, in spite of knowing his protection of her had been anything but a selfless act. She still was thankful for his keeping the other vampires under control.

"After you have eaten, will you sit and listen with me like you did yesterday?" Eric said.

Cecilia couldn't quite believe he was bothering to form it as a request. He had told her she could leave if she wished and she had told him that she had no where to go. She was outnumbered here and had no real method of defense against so many. The way she saw it, she couldn't really say no even if she wanted to. "Of course."

She ate a meal and didn't really even take time to perceive what is was. Then she quickly joined Eric at the seat she had sat in the evening before. They sat in silence for a while then Eric spoke.

"I was thinking, I know very little about you. Tell me, how long did you live in Russia?"

"For seventy years." Cecilia told him.

Eric raised an eyebrow. "I take it you have a longer lifespan than humans then. You don't look older than thirty. How old are you?"

"Three hundred and twenty two."

"That explains your modesty." He pointed out.

"I don't.. I'm not..." She tried to protest.

"Yes you are. You're uncomfortable with these relaxed manners and revealing clothes the people all have these days. I can see it just by the way you carry yourself. You have an air grace and sophistication that current generation doesn't even understand." Eric stated.

Cecilia was taken aback. She looked down at her neatly folded hands and crossed ankles. He was right. She was modest and she did carry herself gracefully. It was simply part of who she was. "How do you know that?"

He reached over and brushed a hand over her bare leg, then tugged the hem of her dress further down over her knee. "Three times since you've sat down, you've tried to cover yourself more. But you are careful not to fuss with it or draw attention to yourself. I only noticed because I was watching you. You chose the dress with the most fabric, the least revealing item in the wardrobe and yet you're still uncomfortable with it... Yesterday you waited for me to offer food rather than crassly asking for it... everything about you speaks of good breeding from another time..."

"It wasn't entirely good breeding. My family was not wealthy. However, I have known wealth. I was married to a very wealthy man and lived in luxury during most of his lifetime." Cecilia told him.

"Tell me about him."

She wasn't sure she wanted to talk about her past, least of all with the vampire Eric Northman. But he did seem interested. If there were any healthy emotions in him, perhaps letting him get to know her was another step towards gaining his protection. "His name was Gustav. We married when I was seventeen. My mother said it was a lucky match as I had no dowry or lands to inherit and Gustav was from a very wealthy family. For a time he was good to me. I loved him. Then, after two years he foud out what I was. I had been careful to keep it secret...it was a secret he could not handle. He was so horrified that he threw me out. For eight months I lived on the streets of Moscow nearly starving, subject to robbery and rape... then he found me and told me he was sorry and wanted me to come back home... I went... but it was never the same. He grew more and more wealthy as time went by. I lived with him and his money for fifty years and would have given anything to get back the first two." She said, brushing away a tear.

"Did you leave Russia after Gustav died?" Erik asked.

"I did. I have lived many places since then and learned many languages and met many people. I suspect you have done the same?"

"I have." Erik didn't share details and Cecilia didn't press him to.

"Excuse me Eric." The vampire that Eric had been speaking to when Cecilia woke up that morning was standing at his side with a question. "I've brought what you asked for. Where would you like me to put it?"

"Put it in the back room." Eric said, then turned to Cecilia. "Come with me. I have something for you."

She followed him to the back room and found two large shopping bags on the sofa.

"Go ahead." He indicated.

Inside the bag, were clothes. Not just any clothes but clothes of the old traditional Russian style. Not everything was from the period she had been born to, but everything was familiar and modest and pretty. There were long dresses with delicate embroidery. Long floral skirts with bell sleeve tunics, flat lace up shoes of the old style. Cecilia hadn't had clothing so suited to her in many years. She had never felt like a real person wearing denim jeans or any of these modern bits of fabric that were passed off as a dress. But with these... these had to have cost a small fortune...She clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that threatened to escape her but she could not hide her tears of joy.

"How did you know?" She glanced over at Eric who had a smile playing at the corner of his lips but was refusing to allow himself to fully smile.

"Just a lucky guess." He stood watching her with his hands on his pockets.

She glanced back at the gift he had brought her, then at him. In that moment she didn't care if he was a vampire or not. He had given her something she had thought lost forever. Impulsively she threw her arms around the big viking and hugged him tightly. His arms came around her and he hugged her in return. After a moment in his arms she realized something. She didn't smell any hunger or blood-lust coming from him. Instead there was another scent. It was something that could only be described as _compassion. _


	5. Chapter 5

Cecilia knew that at some point before then sun rose, Eric would want her again. She waited for that moment with trepidation, wondering if he would be able to restrain himself a second time. Thus far, he had been kind to her. More kind than she thought vampires were truly capable of.

Just past 3 AM the moment finally came. Most of the human patrons had left the bar. The vampires who slept elsewhere were mostly gone too. Someone had changed the music to Mozart instead of the racket that had been playing and irritating her all night. Eric stood and took Cecilia's hand.

"May I have this dance?"

She hadn't expected that. She had fully expected him to take her to bed and have his way with her. "Y-Yes, of course you may." She tried not to seem too surprised at the request but stumbled over her words a bit anyway.

It was an old fashioned dance, one that few humans knew the steps to because they had been forgotten after so many years. Their differences in height were only slightly awkward. It had been many years since Cecilia had danced in this manner and when at once point she tripped over her foot, Eric caught her. They stopped dancing and she looked up at him, meeting his eyes while he still held her.

"Why are you doing this?" She made herself ask. "Why are you being kind to me?"

His eyes narrowed and he loosened his hold on her. "I told you, I don't want you to be afraid of me."

"Is that just so I won't run away and you can have my blood to yourself... or is there something else?" Cecilia asked him. She had told him already that she could smell emotions but she hadn't exactly mentioned that she could smell lies. This question needed to be asked.

"It isn't just about your blood. I won't deny that I do want it..." He swallowed, seemingly unsure how to go on. "But it is more than that. I have lived more than a thousand years. There are other vampires who have lived as long and far longer but not many of them still exist. Those of us who are so old are often corrupt to the point of pure evil...My maker Godric wanted us to be better than that. To treat humans as equals rather than a mere food source...I want to do as he wished... You are over three hundred years old and there isn't a spark of evil in you. You're not equal to vampires. You are superior...You are beautiful and good and you're intriguing...I'd much prefer to have your affection than your fear..."

Cecilia didn't know what to say. She knew he was being honest with her. She couldn't smell any lies and what she did smell was nothing she had ever picked up from a vampire. It was almost like what love smelled on werewolves. But he couldn't love her could he?

"Say something..." Eric prodded, his worry returning.

She found she couldn't meet his gaze. "I will try not to be so afraid... to give you a chance..." Cecilia began but she couldn't finish. Old memories of vampires who had hurt her were filling her mind.

Eric gently lifted her chin to look at her. "What has my kind done to you?"

The rest of the night was spent talking about her past. Eric sat across from where she sat on the red sofa, holding her hand and listening while she poured out most of her story. She had met her first vampire after Gustav died. She had first thought him an obsessive suitor until one evening she invited him into her home and he nearly killed her, draining her and healing her again and again. She had transformed into a wolf and fought him until he became so exhausted that he ran from her and slept for the day before returning to her again. She didn't know at that time that she could rescind her invitation so she spent many months running from him until she finally learned how to kill him with a stake. The next few experiences had been similar. She had run and fought the best she could. There were some who tied her up and promised to let her go once they were filled. They never did. She always had to either fight them or run from them. One very old vampire, Myles, was the worst of all. He was six hundred years old when he took her. He did not drink directly from her. He took her blood with a needle in order to maintain control of himself. He kept her chained up and captive in a solitary cell for sixteen years. Myles was who she saw in her nightmares. He continued to be the bane of her existence, even seventy five years after escaping him.

"So he is still alive, this Myles?" Eric asked when she paused in her story.

"Yes. I think so. He was alive when I escaped him. There have been times i thought I smelled him near, following me, but I have never seen him since then." She said worriedly.

"Maybe if I knew which district he came from... where did he find you?"

"I lived in Belfast Ireland when Myles found me. We never left the island so I suppose that must have been his district." Cecilia told him.

"If it isn't, then I'm sure someone there has at least heard of him." Eric told her. "I will find him, and I will bring him the true death. I promise you that."

Cecilia wasn't sure if she should thank him or not. He was promising to kill her former captor but in some ways, Eric was her captor now. It was rather ironic. She said nothing and he sat there watching her in silence. It was less than an hour before sunrise so it was time for him to make his move. She waited, trying not to let her anxiousness show through.

"We should sleep." He said, suddenly breaking the silence. "It's getting late and you look tired." Eric got up and crossed the room. He opened a cabinet and took out a plaid woven blanket. "I never thought to give you a blanket last night." He said passing it to her.

"Thank you." She breathed. Eric stepped closer and bent close enough to kiss her, but he didn't. Instead she felt the blanket wrap around her shoulders and cover her back. "Sleep well, Cecilia." He said and left her standing there in awe as he left her to go to his coffin.


End file.
